Correcting one mistake
by scikaiju
Summary: Surviving the plot against him the Doctor realizes he's made one single error during his goodbye tour. kNowing this will haunt him for the rest of his days he sets off to fix it.


A/N - Post Wedding of River Song, some spoilers so be warned. Wrote this because I know the Doctor would see him before he died. As usual I don't own any of these characters.

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><p>One more night he looked at the untouched second glass of brandy he always had them set out, just in case. And one more night that it sat there untouched. Sitting there by the window of his room former Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart looked out at the night sky. He was never alone, not with the staff, old acquaintances showing up. It kept his days busy. But he always hoped that one old acquaintance in particular would show up, even to just step in front of this window and wave before disappearing again, just like he's always done ever since he got that damn contraption of his working again. He learned to accept it a long time ago, the man was always busy saving the world or the universe to some degree or another even back then. Why should now be any different.<p>

Picking up the untouched glass he went to drink it himself, no point in wasting perfectly good brandy after all. "I wouldn't be so hasty Brigadier," he looked over to the door. Leaning on his cane as he stood he faced this surprise visitor. Standing there was a smiling young man apparently in his twenties wearing a brown tweed jacket with a matching colored bow tie, a mess of hair and the ungodliest chin he had ever seen on a person. He stepped into the private room with a warm smile, "You never know who might stop by for a glass."

He studied the young man for a moment, he had never laid eyes on him before now. But something in the way he was looking at him said he knew him. At first he was going to put it down to somebody who's studied his military record, well the non classified part any way. It was a look he was familiar with having seen it before the last couple of decades or so. But the more he looked into this young man in the eyes the more he realized that look was more familiar, like those he used to work with. Surprised his legs didn't give out on him as it dawned on him he felt a smile slowly form, "Doctor."

He looked pleasantly surprised, "You recognize me?"

"Doctor," he said falling into a familiar tone like an old coat, "as of right now I've personally seen five different versions of you in the flesh. I know you don't think that highly of my intelligence but do give me some credit."

"I'll have you know I think very highly of you," he said, it may be a different face but there a hint of familiarity in that annoyed look he was giving him, "outside of the people I travel with you are the best human I know."

"Doctor I am an old man please don't lie to me now. I do believe I can handle the truth."

"Alright then the truth," he said. "I always loved dealing with you Brigadier, because no matter how much we annoyed each other, no matter how out there you thought my ideas or theories were you always held on to the slight possibility that perhaps I knew what I was talking about." A lopsided grin on his face he added, "And that's something I learned to appreciate after dealing with a couple of your replacements. Way too sure of themselves. All their soldiers lined up n a row. Very boring."

"Well you are somebody who takes some getting used to," the Brigadier said as he offered the Doctor the other chair by the window. He took it and the offered second glass of brandy. Sitting as well Brigadier asked, "I'm not sure if it being rude or not, but how many changes have you've been through since I last saw you?"

"This is my fourth face since the last time I've seen you," he said not even giving a hint if he was insulted or not. "Number eleven overall."

"Did something go wrong with this change Doctor," he said motioning at his chin, a bit of humor in his eye.

"Age still hasn't mellowed you Brigadier", the Doctor said with a smile as he took a sip. Then made a bit of a face and put the drink down, "Thought I had brandy before now. But really, mock insults after all this time? Although I am glad you never saw me in my sixth incarnation, looking back I could hear you ask if an old lady's blanket threw up on me."

"As some of the boys used to say if you can't mock your friends who can you mock? And it couldn't have been worse than that silly ruffled shirt you seemed to favor back in the day. Or that insufferably long scarf." The Brigadier poured himself another glass, "So how have you been Doctor?"

"Seeing the universe, stopping the occasional wrong I happen to come across. Which happens regularly it seems, thanks to the TARDIS. But I'm trying to pull back a bit, be a little less noticeable." Suddenly this young man look very, very old as he looked out at the stars, "I've recently discovered I've attracted a little too much attention to myself, attracted the wrong sort of eyes. Had things set in motion against me without knowing it."

"No offence Doctor but you never seemed to be the 'less noticeable' type, even when we were working together." The Doctor flinched a bit but said nothing. "It seem like everything you did was to attracted attention to yourself, just so you could prove how much smarter you are than everybody else in the room. Damn annoying at times."

"A small trait that follows me in all my incarnations I'm afraid," he said. "Not so much in my fifth incarnation. It was there but still there, not as obvious, but still. It might explain my current former problem now that I think of it. It would explain a lot of it."

"I don't think I've seen you this introspective before Doctor, did something happen to you recently?"

"The thing set in motions, I was marked to die," he answered easily like too old friends should. Still I took the Brigadier by surprise a little. "The group that was against me, a religious sect it seems, actually set up a fixed point in time where I was supposed to die. When I finally resolved myself to this fact I took stock of my life and made one of those bucket list things you humans seem to enjoy creating. Of course with me it took a few decades to come up with a decent list seeing how I've seen and done a lot of what this universe has to offer."

"And of course you cheated this death sentence in your own particular style."

"Why would you assume that?"

"I've known you far too long Doctor. If I had to place a bet on anybody to find a way out of it you would be the sure money."

He looked a little chagrined, "Well you're right. It involved a shape changing space ship and a miniaturized crew. You would have liked the Captain, reminded me a little bit of you in his determination in doing his job. Why are we talking about me how are you doing Brigadier?"

"Doctor for once could you call me Alistair, I haven't been a Brigadier in a very, very long time."

"Alright Ali…," he seemed to stumble over the word, "…Alist…. I'm sorry Brigadier but you are always going to be the Brigadier to me."

"And you will always be the Doctor to me, despite that obviously fake name you gave me when you first became UNIT's official scientific advisor."

Now he looked a tad hurt, "I thought I was being rather clever."

"John Smith, the two most common names in the English language, really Doctor."

"You never answered how you were doing?"

"As well as can be expected I suppose," he answered, "never thought I make it to be this old. Especially with all the things I've seen and been up against. But I imagine I'll be going to my reward in a day or two now."

"Brigadier, don't… don't say that," the Doctor said looking a little distressed.

"Doctor I figured out a long time ago that you would show up near the end. The last time you saw me you thought I threw my life away and screamed I was supposed to die in bed. You knew even then when I would breath my last. Actually I was looking forward to this visit since I wouldn't have to worry about when it was going to happen. Although knowing you as I do you probably realized I died after it happened and took that contraption of yours into a little trip to now."

The Doctor looked sad for a moment before covering it up and got out of his chair and paced the room, "Do you know what we have never done, taken a trip in the TARDIS. I mean a proper trip, not like when we were taken to the Deathzone and I brought you back home. Let's hop to the moon to shoot a couple of golf balls. That's what you do with golf balls right? Shoot? Hopefully you don't need a gun. That would be dreadful."

"Doctor," the Brigadier tried to cut in.

He continued on, "I believe I have a couple of spacesuits in the TARDIS. One size fits all so that shouldn't be a problem. And if it was I'm sure I could nick one from somewhere."

"Doctor," he repeated.

"I'll have you back in a few minutes on that clock. I've gotten much better at piloting the old girl now. Outside the occasional hiccup."

Finally he gripped his arm and forced him to stop, "Doctor."

The young man looked old and sad again, "I'm sorry. I was going to come…"

"Don't be, you still showed up. And I appreciate that more than you can possibly realize. It means you do see me as a friend after all."

"Always Brigadier," he said patting his hand, "always. Well I better get going. That orderly going to get it in his head to call about my credentials eventually, he seems a smart one. The smart ones usually do. Oh I never showed you my new toy." He pulled a small billfold out of an inner pocket of his coat and opened it up, "Psychic paper, something I picked up awhile back. Makes it so much easier to get into places when they see something they think I'm important."

"Too bad you didn't have this back when we were in UNIT together," he mused as several different word appeared and disappeared before his eyes. "Would have made thing so much easier when the latest alien threat came along instead of waiting for official channels to allow us. Then again you were never fond of waiting for official channels."

"Waiting for permission is a waste of time," he said replacing his newest 'toy' back into it's pocket, "even when you have all of time and space at your disposal. You sure you don't want to take a quick jaunt? I can introduce you to Attila the Hun, hopefully from before he wants to kill me. That does seem to happen on a fairly regular basis. Perhaps I should have done this sooner."

The Brigadier chuckled, "That's quite alright Doctor, I never had the sort of stomach for adventure that you do. I was satisfied in doing my job." He stood and walked over to his friend and held out a hand, "Goodbye Doctor."

He looked hesitant and sad but eventually took the hand, "Goodbye Brigadier."

He walked away, "Don't worry Doctor, I'll keep acting like you never showed. Would hate to change the time stream or whatever silly nonsense you usually spout." The Doctor smiled, although he detected a hint of sadness in it, waved and walked out the door. The Brigadier waited for a few moments, imagining he heard that distinct whine of the Doctor's machine that always signaled his arrival and departure. He smiled and sat back down, finishing off that second glass he poured himself. Now he could go peacefully into the night knowing the most amazing person he had ever met cherished their friendship as much as he did. Even if he was also one of the most annoying ones he's met in his life as well.


End file.
